Role Reversal
by ohcEEcho
Summary: Yami has always been Yugi’s protector, his other half. How would Yugi cope if, suddenly, their roles are reversed?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First Yugioh story, ever. I wrote this some time ago, and have finally got round to posting it.**

**Summary: Yami has always been Yugi's protector, his other half. How would Yugi cope if, suddenly, their roles are reversed?**

**Disclaimer: Yugioh belongs to a very rich guy who lives in Japan (no, not Seto Kaiba). Don't sue, you'll only get a half empty jar of old fashioned jelly babies.**

**Warnings: Nothing really. Yami and Yugi's relationship could be read as slash if you want, but I see it more as brotherly love than anything.**

**Rating: PG13 American, 12 English.**

_Role Reversal_

His neck itched where the chain once was. The absence of the comforting weight on his chest. And the worst…the ringing, cold, unbearable silence. He felt so empty inside; incomplete. Well, he supposed, technically, he was incomplete. At least, in part.

"Mr Mutuo?"

'I miss Yami…'

"Mr Mutuo?"

'I hope he's alright…he must be pretty lonely…well, I guess he's been alone for 5000 years before now…'

"Yugi Mutuo!"

'After Oricalcus, he's been awfully quiet…I hope he'll talk to me soon…'

"Mr Mutuo, would you kindly PAY ATTENTION!"

Yugi was jerked out of his distracted revere by the clipped and precise tones. His head jerked up to meet the narrowed emerald eyes of the new language teacher, Miss Hiritomi. He blinked.

"Oh." He smiled, sheepishly "Sorry, Miss Hiritomi."

She straightened up, her arms crossing over her business suit, metallic pink nails clashing horribly with the rest of her attire. Yugi refrained, just barely, from wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Normally, he wouldn't be so quick to scorn, but the fact was he already held a great deal of bad feelings towards the language teacher. Firstly, Yugi had been very upset when their previous teacher, Mr Mitsuami, had drowned while on holiday in Majorca. He had been Yugi's favourite teacher, and had been the small boys mentor and friend through the years prior to his friendship with Joey and Tristan.

Secondly, from the moment she had walked through the door, Yugi had known he would not like her. Somehow, his first impressions were always correct. Joey, for instance, he had known had a heart of gold underneath his 'gung-ho' countenance, and Kaiba…well, at least he had known the CEO wasn't completely beyond help.

Miss Hiritomi, with the aid of her excessively high and noisy heels stood very tall at 6 ft 2. Had it not been for her harsh features and overly sharp nose (at least in Yugi's opinion) she would seem quite docile. Her long black hair was seemingly never out of place, and seemed to get shinier with every day (Yugi suspected hair dye was involved somewhere within that).

But the thing which made Yugi hate her, and loath her with every fibre of his small being, was that she had banned jewellery in school. And, far worse, she had stood high above Yugi, that overly sweetened condescending smile curving her face, and had leant down and said quietly, but in a whisper the entire class could hear:

"You're necklace, if you please, sweetie. Oh! What a pretty design. Where did you get it?"

Yugi had stared up at her with wide-eyed disbelief, before slowly beginning to undo the clasp at the base of his neck. Yami had been strangely silent as Yugi felt their connection waning before fading completely. Yugi couldn't suppress a wince as the lethal blade of her index fingernail tapped lightly against the side of the millennium puzzle as Yugi lifted the chain over his head and grudgingly let it fall into her hand. She squinted at it.

"Ah, Egyptian. Such a fascinating subject. I myself studied it extensively in my high school years…" she had sighed, and turned away.

And Yugi decided then and there, as he watched his puzzle and the spirit he knew to be trapped inside be set down on the front desk like a mere paperweight, that Miss Hiritomi might well become the first teacher who he disliked. Even hated.

It wasn't as if she knew of the massive loss Yugi had suffered with the confiscation of his puzzle, but Yugi couldn't bring himself to let that pass. Yami had become a part of him.

Forty five minutes later, and all the students cheered (well, all except Yugi and Kaiba, Yugi because he had been brooding, and Kaiba because…well…he was Kaiba) as the lunch bell interrupted Miss Hiritomi's lecture on the perfect and dative tenses in Latin. She sighed, and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes as the students twitched in their seats, ready to be set free for a whole hour.

"Lunch time so soon…" she tutted "my, my, class, time does fly when you're having fun, non¿Cuál está para la preparación, clase?"

"Research on the perfect tense, Miss." The class chorused, and Miss Hiritomi smiled briefly.

"Très bien. Vous pouvez partir. Au revoir."

"Au revoir, Madame Hiritomi." The class gabbled, and rushed for the exit.

"See ya, Miss!" Joey called over the commotion. Kaiba rolled his eyes briefly before sedately making a dignified exit after the chattering rabble, looking disdainful. Yugi remained cemented to his seat, staring at the small patterns of light reflected off the surface of the puzzle onto the ceiling. The eye of Horus seemed almost to wink down at him, shimmering and indistinct on the cream tiles.

"Well, Yugi. Much as I admire your enthusiasm for my class, I am in need of some much craved caffeine." Miss Hiritomi smiled, and beckoned him up to the front. Yugi got up, not bothering to tuck his chair under the desk, and walked over to the front, where Miss Hiritomi sat perched on the edge of her desk, smiling in that sweetly sinister way.

"I think I'll keep this," she gestured with one manicured hand to the puzzle "until the end of the day. Come back after last class, and I'll give it back. That okay, sweetheart?"

"Yes, Miss." Yugi said politely, a pang of disappointment failing to be suppressed. She smiled in a patronising way, as though speaking to a small child, and had the gall to pat Yugi on the head.

"Don't worry, Little Yugi. I'll take care of it."

"Miss Hiritomi!"

There was a loud bang as the door was flung open, and a girl with short, amber hair in mismatched plaits skidded into the room, uniform askew.

"Miss, oh Miss!" she exclaimed, running over to Yugi and Miss Hiritomi, banging into desks as she hurried. She stopped mere inches in front of Yugi, her face twisted with panic.

"Quill!" Miss Hiritomi hopped off the deck gracefully, and put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Calm down, child! What on earth is the matter?"

Quill took a few short, gasping breaths, before launching into speech again.

"Those two boys, the blonde American, and the moody kid? They're fighting, Miss, by the gym!"

Yugi stiffened.

"Joey? Kaiba and Joey, is that who you mean, Quill?"

"Yes, I-I think so…" Quill trailed off.

Miss Hiritomi sighed deeply, and sedately made her way towards the door, her business like posture and clipped tone set back in place. She turned when she reached the door.

"Thank you, Quill. Yugi? At the end of school, don't forget." She left. Yugi could hear her heels slapping the lino floor all the way down the corridor.

"You're worried for your friend, aren't you?"

Yugi jumped, and turned back to look up at Quill. She was a head taller than him, and was a transfer student from England. Yugi smiled.

"Don't worry. He'll be okay."

"I worry for both of them. Kaiba and Joey."

Quill grinned, the gap in between her two front teeth showing.

"Kaiba always seems sad. And Joey, constantly troubled. Jumpy. Their personalities clash. Do you know their star sign?"

"Uh…" Yugi said, biting his lip "well, Joey's birthday is January 25th, and Kaiba's is October 25th …I think…"

"Ah…Aries and Libra…I suspected as much…and with Neptune in alignment with Mercury…" she shook her head sadly, plaits dancing around her face.

"Great tension, I'm afraid. You might want to watch them more closely."

"Uh…right…thanks." He smiled at her awkwardly. "Well, I'll be off. Better sort out Mr Macho and Mr Sensitive. I'll see you in…is it maths?" Quill nodded vigorously, dimples standing out on her cheeks.

"Yes, yes, I sit behind you! I'm so glad you noticed! Well, have a nice lunch period!"

Yugi nodded, and hurried from the room, sending one last longing glance at the puzzle, which looked almost lonely, as he left the classroom.

Three thirty took an age to come. Yugi heaved a deep sigh of relief as he entered the now deserted classroom. The thin rays of afternoon sunshine shone through the blinds, casting a striped row of golden bars across the desks. Yugi's eyes brightened as he recognised the sharp edges of the puzzle, still resting on the desk. He hurried over to it, fingers closing tightly over its cool surface, welcoming.

The familiar link spun up his arms, spiralling up to his head. A tingle in his veins. It was a pleasant feeling, warm, and a little tickly. The connection fuzzed in and out like a faulty radio, before settling into a pulsing rhythm.

'_Aibou, that was quite possibly the most boring four hours of my life.'_

Came the indignant and sulky tones of his darker half. Yugi giggled as he attached the chain of the puzzle back around his neck, slipping the pyramid beneath his jacket.

'**Which, considering you're an old man of five thousand, and technically are not alive, must constitute as pretty boring.'**

'_Old, aibou?'_

'**Yes, Yami, old.'**

'_I beg to differ. I am mature, eighteen with four thousand nine hundred and eighty two years of experience. And it was the most boring four hours of my death, to be absolutely metaphorically correct. That woman could bore the sun god himself to death.'_

'**Why, my dear Yami, I do believe you are going senile.'**

'_Senile?'_

Yugi chuckled quietly to himself as Yami cursed him half heartedly in Egyptian. He was so pleased to have the sarcastic pharaoh back inside his head, he decided to refrain from teasing Yami about his age…for now.

"What's so funny, Mr Mutuo?"

It was Miss Hiritomi, looking innocently curious as she emerged from the cupboard where she had evidently been lurking in, a pile of books balanced on one patterned knee.

'_Run, aibou! Before she starts a lecture!'_

Yugi snorted, eyes widening as Miss Hiritomi's eyes narrowed in contradiction.

"Mr Mutuo, are you patronising me?"

'_Well, she's one to talk…let me speak to her. I haven't mind crushed anyone in so long, and her brains so screwed up anyway…'_

'**Yami!'**

"Uh…no, Miss Hiritomi. Just…laughing at something my…uh…friend said, at lunch."

'_Awww, I'm your friend? I'm touched, Yugi, really.'_

'**Shut up, pharaoh!'**

Miss Hiritomi blinked, and stared at him.

"Mr Mutuo, are you feeling alright?"

'**Holy crap, did I say that out loud?'**

'_Well, my dear hikari, judging by the fact she just questioned you're mental state of mind-'_

'**Did I ask for your opinion!'**

'_No. I believe you are blessed with the infinite and wise nugget of knowledge I have so kindly bestowed upon you.'_

'**You're so conceited…'**

'_Nineteen years of doing anything I damn well please will do that to a guy. The world is my playground. All living creatures are my pawns. They are here only for my amusement.'_

'…**and insane.'**

'_You flatter me, aibou.'_

A hand to Yugi's forehead jolted him out of his interaction. He glanced up to find Miss Hiritomi's face mere inches from his own. He jumped, as the door to the classroom banged off its hinges for the second time that day.

"I'm here, Hiritomi baby!"

Joey froze, as he took in the fact that Yugi was present, and also that the door was now unceremoniously flat on the floor.

"Oh, Jes-us! Sorry."

Joey leant down and retrieved the now thoroughly battered door and stood it gingerly back in place in the doorway. He grinned sheepishly at Miss Hiritomi, who scowled.

'_Well, that was interesting.'_

"Mr Wheeler. You're…early."

"Sure am, Miss. Thought I'd make up for lost time, ya know?"

Just as Miss Hiritomi opened her mouth to respond, the door once again fell forwards with a loud bang, revealing a rather confused looking Seto Kaiba, eyebrow raised.

"Apologies. I wasn't aware the school had employed the latest technology in fire escape doors…original system, a door which you can walk over."

'_Ooh, I would love to pull that stick out his arse and beat him over the head with it…'_

'**Yami Atemu Mutuo!'**

"I suggest you go home and get some sleep, Yugi. It may do you good. As for you, Mr Wheeler, you now have two lines to write one thousand times: firstly, 'I shall not engage in physical assault of my fellow students' and secondly 'I shall not abuse school property'."

'**Yami, please don't talk so much when I'm with other people. I can't think.'**

Yugi rubbed his forehead as he hurried down the quiet street, the puzzle banging against his chest as he picked up his pace.

'_When else am I supposed to talk to you, then? You're always with people, and when you aren't, you're sleeping.'_

Yugi stopped. Yami sounded almost…resentful? No, not resent…something else…not anger, or even annoyance…something else entirely…sadness? Yugi felt a flare of frustration rise inside him. Life was bad enough without his Yami going all sulky on him.

'**Look, Mi hitori no boku, people are starting to think I'm crazy. Maybe I am, anyone hearing voices inside their head is generally considered out of it!'**

'_Well, I didn't **ask **to be sealed inside a triangle for several million millennia! I didn't ask to be Pharaoh!'_

'**Maybe if you hadn't been, you wouldn't be so damn conceited! You're always pushing me around!'**

'_That's a lie, Aibou! You're the one in charge of this body, and-'_

"Well, well, well! Look wha' tha cat dragged in."

Yugi jolted, and blinked, squinting his eyes from the glare of the sun as he looked up at the dark figure towering over him. His eyes widened. It was Lim-Bai, the boy who Yugi had gotten expelled for violence in second grade. Yugi gulped, glancing round nervously. Nobody was around. The street was deserted.

He was alone.

'_Aibou! Let me handle him!'_

Well, not quite. Yugi felt his resolve harden.

'**No! I didn't need you then, I don't need you now!'**

'_But, Yugi…'_

Yami was pleading now, as the thick-shouldered man advanced slowly, licking his lips.

'Maybe I've become too dependent on Yami…' Yugi thought, glaring up at Lim-Bai. 'I need to do this…to prove to myself that I am just as strong as he is…'

Lim-Bai raised his fist, chuckling throatily, lips curling into a sneer. A wave of utter terror swept across the mind link, but Yugi knew it had not come from himself.

'_Yugi! Aibou! No!'_

Yugi's eyes widened as he saw the world around him move away…or was he moving back? Darkness grew at the edges of the image, and Yugi could see the faded image of darkened stairwells flicker in and out of sight. His eyes narrowed, and a stab of anger coursed through him.

Yugi watched, chest heaving as he seethed, as Yami handled the situation with his usual stoic calm. How _dare _he? He, Yugi, was the person who belonged here! If it wasn't for Yugi, Yami wouldn't be here at all! If anyone should have a say in his life, it was Yugi himself! And to think mere minutes ago, Yami was claiming that _he _was in charge…

As soon as Lim-Bai had fled, Yugi reached out for the dark presence above him. He found it, familiar and warm, but for Yugi, it was no longer comforting but scalded him and heightened his anger. He clenched a superficial hand around the dark being and thrust it forcibly into the back of his mind, even as he rose to meet the quiet street around him, once again deserted. He heard Yami give a startled cry of pain as he was thrown back into the confines of the puzzle. Yugi smiled with bitter satisfaction.

'_Ouch! Aibou, that hurt…'_

'**Serves him right.'**

'**Good.'**

Silence. Yugi could feel Yami's confusion at this statement surge across their bond.

'_Ano…nani?'_

Yugi snorted. Well, at least Yami had learnt something through using his body in the modern world.

'**I said good. As in, I'm glad it hurt, _Pharaoh._'**

'_Yugi…what…?'_

'**You have no right! How could you? I told you not to, I could handle it! I handled him before, without _your _help! I don't need _you!_'**

A twinge of hurt fluttered across the thinning bond, but Yugi ignored it, throwing himself down onto a bench, panting.

'_But, Yugi, I was only trying to protect-'_

'**Protect? A fine job he did of it.'**

Yugi felt the waves of anger become a hurricane, bursting in his chest, searing across his lungs, making him gasp for breath.

'**Protect me? Don't make me laugh, Pharaoh. Since when have you ever done anything but held me back! Remember the seal of Oricalcus? Who saved me, us, then? It was me! You nearly _destroyed _both of us, not to mention the entire planet, and who sacrificed himself to save your sorry hide? I DID!'**

'_I…I never meant…didn't mean to…I never wanted to hurt you, Yugi…'_

Yugi laughed bitterly, the sound rattling in his chest. The puzzle was gripped tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white. A burning sensation grew, and Yugi felt the puzzle grow hot.

'**You couldn't even control yourself! With me gone, the darkness overpowered you and nearly led to the destruction of the world! You're pathetic! Weak! How could you just succumb like that?'**

All the hurt, the anger, the helplessness which Yugi had held back within the times in which Dartz's tyranny reigned suddenly burst forth from their previously closely kept defences.

'**Protect me? PROTECT ME? When trying to so-called protect me, you ended up losing my soul! I nearly died because of your pathetic attempts to protect me! Maybe I don't need protecting anymore!'**

'_Aibou, please…'_

'**And you know what? Maybe I don't need you, either! Maybe I don't even want you here! You say you didn't ask to be locked in a puzzle! Well guess what? I didn't ask for you, and maybe I didn't even want you in the first place! I should just smash the puzzle and be done with it!'**

'_Yugi…is that really what you want?'_

Yugi started, anger dying down briefly. Yami sounded…scared. Yugi felt a momentary stab of guilt, then smirked, malicious. That made a change.

'Do…do I really want this?' Yugi thought, pondering.

'**Of course! It's all his fault!'**

'**Yes, Yami. It is.'**

There was a silence. Yugi blinked, as he found himself staring out at the street, the faint shadow of the interior of the puzzle gone.

'_I see.'_

The puzzle grew cold.

'_If this is truly your wish, Yugi Mutuo…so be it.'_

Yugi gasped as an invisible barrier sliced through the link like a blade, releasing a ringing note which sounded like the toll of a bell on a brass gong. The warmth of the bond fled with a soft sigh, to be replaced with a cold, ringing silence.

Time passed, flew by, and many minutes had died before Yugi straightened, legs shaking slightly, and took an unstable step towards the game shop at the end of the road.

'Yami?'

Yugi took another step, hesitantly, searching tentatively in his mind for something, anything…a flicker, or a shadow.

'Yami?'

There was no answer; save for the silence.

**A/N: So, should I continue? This is an old story, but I think I could get back into it...review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! Yes, I thought I would write a story where Yugi gets to kick a little butt and Yami gets a break. All these stories where Yugi is weak and helpless get a bit tiresome. I love them to bits, but I sometimes feel a little sorry that Yami is always depicted as the 'bad guy'. Also, by the end of the Yugioh series, Yami quite literally tells Yugi he is stronger then Yami. **

**This chapter has an interlude in the POV of Seto Kaiba. This section is quite a crucial part to the story, so if you don't like Kaiba (why you ever wouldn't I cannot understand) please read anyway. Thanks!**

**Summary: Yami has always been Yugi's protector, his other half. How would Yugi cope if, suddenly, their roles are reversed?**

**Disclaimer: …Not mine. **

**Rating: PG13 American, 12 English.**

_Role Reversal_

Seto Kaiba wrapped long fingers around a wide brimmed cup of scalding coffee, and downed half of it in one swallow. He didn't wince at it burnt his throat and slid uncomfortably through his chest, but rather welcomed the warmth. He was always cold these days. He ran one hand through his hair, pushing it irritably out of the way, and drank the second half with equal lack of concern for his physical health.

He slammed it down on his desk, ignoring the ominous creaking he heard from the china base, and smiled slightly. Not a real smile, of course. He could barely remember how to really smile, but one of small contentment. After all, coffee was the water of life.

Stretching his arms up above his head, he winced as he felt the stiff muscles protesting as hours of straight backed work in front of a desk came back to slap him in the face. He strode quickly over to the large, plain door, and stepped out into the corridor, repressing a shiver as the cool night air which was being quickly dispelled by the light of morning bombarded him with cold once again.

He reached the top of the stairway where the banister began, and meticulously scanned the surrounding area. There was not a living soul in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly clambered sideways onto the side of the smooth polished banister, and slid down it within seconds. He jumped off the end and checked again for any observers.

Seto Kaiba was not a man who liked to show emotion, but in the case of efficiency (supposedly) he resorted to any means to get where he needed to go quickly. Besides…although he would never admit it, sliding down the banister in his mansion was one of the small and few joys left in his life.

Once Mokuba had nearly caught him at it, and he had to claim he had tripped over the last step. He had a feeling Mokuba didn't quite believe him, but he had been very careful to check for onlookers first after that incident.

Feeling slightly exhilarated by the rush of cool air past his face, he continued on across the carpeted floor of the main lower hall and towards the kitchens, bare feet making light slapping sounds on the tiled floor of the corridors as he entered.

Kaiba entered the kitchen, to find Syao, the elderly and kindly cook, had already left his second morning coffee on the table as usual, along with any post she had received from the secretary. Syao had been at the mansion since Kaiba had first been adopted by Gozaburo, and had sneaked him food when he had been forced to starve as punishment. She was one of the few members of staff Kaiba had kept on after his father's death.

Or so called death.

"Oh, Master Seto, you startled me!"

Syao entered the kitchen, carrying a large wicker basket of shopping bags, and set it down on the kitchen counter and bobbing a small curtsey. Kaiba nodded in return and reached for the pile of letters on the table, which sat next to a brown paper parcel which looked a little like a shoebox.

"The parcel was delivered straight to the doorstep and left, Master Seto. I had it checked with the security board and brought it over myself."

She began to unpack the shopping, moving around the kitchen with deadly precision. Kaiba flipped open the first letter and muttered a distracted thanks, and didn't see the old woman pause to smile fondly at him as she continued with the shopping.

'Blah blah blah grovel, new shipment arrived as ordered one day late, blah grovel blah blah…"

Kaiba chucked the letter unfinished into the small wastepaper bin and moved onto the next. Within minutes all six letters were at least half read and disposed of. Kaiba lifted the parcel from the table, tested the weight and frowned. It was heavy. He resolved to open it in the privacy of his own room, and tucked it under his arm, turning o leave.

"Master Seto sir, you haven't eaten anything."

It was perfectly presented, a mere statement of fact in which only the tone betrayed a reprimand. Kaiba turned to the elderly cook, face impassive.

"I don't have-"

"Time?"

She finished, shaking her head with a small smile making her cheeks wrinkle, as she placed a saucepan on the cooker and began to chop vegetables on a wooden board.

"Mr Kaiba, I an sure your brother will not appreciate you starving yourself. I didn't risk life and limb under the reign of your father to keep you healthy for nothing, you know."

Any other subordinate would, of course, be fired and out of the building by now, but Kaiba knew full well that Syao was only saying this because she cared. And Kaiba knew the old woman spoke the truth, though he would never admit it. She did not grovel and squirm even on the worst of days, but rather treated him like a member of her own family, even when he was an unchecked whippersnapper, as she had once so eloquently put it.

"Syao, are you blackmailing me?"

Syao looked delighted he had caught on to this concept so quickly.

"Why, yes sir, I suppose I am."

Kaiba barely repressed a smile and scowled instead, drawing back a chair and sitting down at the table, pulling yet another cup of strong coffee towards him. Syao chuckled.

"You're such a handsome young man, sir, you really shouldn't scowl so." Her face became a mask of mock scold "Or, are you afraid you'll get wrinkles like me, hmm?" she teased gently.

At that, Kaiba really did crack a small smile.

Once he had finished his first breakfast in many weeks, he walked briskly back towards his room, glancing at the grandfather clock by the wall as he passed the main hallway. Quarter to seven. He had thirty minutes to open the parcel, get dressed, clean himself up then get to school. Although, he wasn't entirely resentful for the lost time.

He placed the parcel on his bed and studied it for some kind of address. Finding none, he ripped off the coarse string irritably. The paper soon followed. As he had expected, there was a perfectly ordinary shoebox shaped container within the wrapping.

Sincerely hoping this was not some sort of prank, he abruptly pulled the lid off and stared. Nestled inside, surrounded by pale lilac tissue paper, was a large, heavy set rod of some kind. Kaiba narrowed his eyes, studying it. The only design or insignia was on the spherical top, which had an eye on it. He stared. He could have sworn he had seen that symbol somewhere before…

He dismissed it, and reached down to examine it more closely.

And Seto Kaiba knew no more.

&&&&&&&&&&

Yugi trudged wearily to school, his backpack seeming too heavy for him, his feet pounding as if in slow motion on the floor. He felt numb. The millennium puzzle, or the shattered pieces of it, were hidden in their golden box under his bed.

When he had gone to take it off to examine it, it had fallen to the floor and shattered as though it were made of glass. Yugi had spent hours fitting each piece back together, but it hadn't stayed stuck. It was as though it was simply…dead. There was no magic pulse, no force to keep it together the spirit inside, and all its power, had quite simply gone.

He repressed a quiet sob, and pulled himself together. Yami would not be any more inclined to return if it was to a weak, broken little fool. Besides, it was his fault Yami had left in the first place.

'Well, you asked him to. He is bound to obey.'

Yugi had no more time to dwell on his misfortune, as Joey came bounding round the corner, golden hair in disarray and uniform disheveled as ever. Yugi smiled slightly at his friend's antics, before feeling the cold despair fill the empty space in his heart once more.

"Hey Yug! Guess what! Tris' ain't here today. Says he's not feeling well."

Yugi frowned. As far as he could recall, Tristan Taylor had never been ill, or even off school for any reason at all, come to that. This day just kept getting weirder.

The walk to school was just as standard as ever; Joey babbling away angrily about hamburgers, homework, and anything else of no interest whatsoever. But Yugi sorely missed the sarcastic interjections of the spirit of the puzzle, to which Joey would mistake his laughter as appreciation of his own jokes.

Finally, they reached the school gates, with only minutes to spare. They hurried through the corridors, before reaching the classroom where, thankfully, Miss Hiritomi had not yet arrived. Joey plonked himself in the seat behind Yugi and let out a loud breath of relief.

"Phew! We last again?"

Yugi frowned as he scanned the class halfheartedly, not really caring. His eyes fell on a single empty seat, at the back on the far right.

"Not quite."

He gestured, and Joey frowned, surprised.

"Moneybags ain't here yet? That's weird."

"Yeah…he's always here at least ten minutes before us. I hope he's alright…"

Joey snorted, turning away from the offending empty seat, glaring.

"Nah. Nothing could get through that layer of ice surrounding him. Anyway, good riddance. Maybe I'll have a normal day for once."

Yugi bit his lip, and waved back to Tea and Ryou, who both greeted him with their usual morning cheer. He sighed, turning to Joey.

"Hey, Joey, I need to talk to you about something-"

"Well whatever it is can wait, Mr Mutuo. Class is starting."

Said Miss Hiritomi, as she flounced past their desk towards the front. She retrieved her clipboard and perched herself on the edge of the teachers desk, smiling toothily.

"Right, now…Sakura?"

"Hai."

"Quill?"

"Hai."

Yugi zoned out as the register was called, Joey giving him curious glances as he answered his own name morosely.

"Jounouchi?"

"Hai, Hiritomi baby!"

She sighed distractedly, and continued. She paused, however, as she noticed the empty seat at the back of the class.

"Does anyone know where Mr Kaiba is today?"

Everybody immediately broke into speculative whispers, the empty desk becoming an instant celebrity. Yugi once again wondered himself. Where was Kaiba?

He didn't have to wonder for long, as the door was suddenly kicked open, and the whole class fell immediately silent. Yugi let out a small gasp.

It was definitely Kaiba, but something was severely…off, about him. He stood in the doorway, his usual steel briefcase absent, hand on his hip and his weight shifted to one side. His shirt was untucked, the blue jacket open wide, and instead of the usual plain black shoes he wore the large, leather strapped and buckled boots he wore when dueling.

But the most prominent feature was his _hair._

It had been parted to the side, so some strands hung longer than others, obscuring half of his face. In between the dark strands covering his left cheek, slits of blue could be seen of the hidden eye. The long tail which usually hung at his neck had been cut off, till it was as short as Joey's, and had apparently not been cut very neatly.

Even his face seemed different. It wasn't as pale as usual, and a lopsided smirk covered his usual impassive mask. There was a long silence.

Hiritomi cleared her throat. Even she didn't dare reprimand the great Seto Kaiba, and simply frowned disapprovingly as he walked slowly over to the empty seat and sat, leaning forwards and leaning his chin on his hand, propping it upright, with an uncharacteristically bored look on his face.

He flashed a glare which sent all the stunned onlookers swiveling around in their seats to face the front once again. Yugi, however, continued to stare, studying Kaiba more closely.

His hair was a different shade from the normal dark brown. It had an almost…red tint to it. His skin was not only lacking its pale white colour, but was practically _tanned. _Suddenly, he turned his gaze around to meet Yugi's.

They both froze. Yugi saw dozens of emotions cross his face, before, to Yugi's astonishment, Kaiba seemed to incline his head in acknowledgement and turned his attention back to the front, raising an eyebrow.

If only Yami was here…

When class was over, Joey immediately turned to Yugi, mouth wide and gaping, shooting furtive glances at Kaiba, who did not move as the torrent of students rushed past him towards the door.

"Wha…Yug…his _hair…_"

Joey rubbed his hands together in glee, got up and stalked over to where Kaiba was just rising to his feet.

"Yo, moneybags! What happened to you, get hit by a truck, or something?"

Kaiba seemed to stare at Joey for a second, before his eyes widened, then his face turned into a knowing smirk. To Yugi and Joey's astonishment, he reached up and patted Joey condescendingly on the head, before turning away, muttering a soft.

"Katsuya."

By way of acknowledgement, before he stopped, looming above Yugi, as Joey gaped after him, then hurried to catch up. Yugi blinked uncertainly up at him. They stayed quite still for a moment, then Kaiba bent in a slight bow, and muttered another acknowledgement.

"Per'aa."

Tea came to stand beside them as she placed her books neatly back into her bag, frowning after Kaiba's retreating back as he left the room.

"He's acting a little…strange…"

She commented, and Joey snorted derisively.

"Probably just some stupid publicity stunt."

Tea shook her head.

"No, that's not something Kaiba would do. The boots, maybe, but he would never do it to just openly defy the rules. He doesn't need to."

Yugi opened his mouth to make a second attempt of telling them about Yami, but was interrupted again as loud shouting was heard outside in the school yard. They all froze, listening.

"That sounds like Ryou!"

Tea said, aghast at the harsh tones she could hear from the normally sweet boy's voice. Yugi's eyes narrowed.

"No." he said, carefully "It's Bakura."

Joey sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes with a seeming frustration.

"The Spirit of the Ring? Oh, boy."

Yugi rose to his feet as they all hurried towards the door, readying themselves for anything. You just could never tell when the tomb robber was involved.

"This could get nasty. Better get Yami on the line, Yug."

Yugi almost tripped and fell, and said nothing. Tentatively, he searched in the emptiness within his heart for the bond, and called out as loud as he dared.

'_Yami?'_

The plea seemed to echo around. There was no answer. Yugi felt desperation fill him once again as he thought of the broken pieces of the puzzle under his bed at the Game shop.

When he heard a terrible, echoing scream fill the void in his heart, and doubled over in pain as he saw through a blurry haze the figures of Ryou Bakura and Seto Kaiba facing off against each other on either side of the yard.

&&&&&&&&&&

It was dark.

He was smothered in swirling, inky blackness as he wandered aimlessly, moving nowhere in time or in space. There was just one small splash of colour within the darkness, a yellow, red, blue, white, crimson, peach and purple blur far up ahead.

So he continued walking, feet pounding upon invisible solidity, feeling strangely detached from reality. His hair hung awkwardly in his eyes, and he flicked it away irritably. Since when had he had a side parting, anyway?

The blur contorted into a limp figure, lying broken on the ground. He felt no emotion at this sight; his senses were moving so sluggishly, it took him a while to fully comprehend what his eyes were telling him, and he sped up, dropping to his knees beside the limp form, hands reaching out to grasp the blue school jacket and turn the body over.

And Yami Atemu Mutuo screamed.

**A/N: I know the scene with Syao wasn't vital, but I like to think that Kaiba has a motherly figure of some sort to look after him. Besides, I will need her in the rest of the story. (knowing smile)**

**I'm assuming you've all guessed what's up with Kaiba, but it is essential to the plot, so…I know the last scene was confusing, but it is supposed to be.**

**Translations:**

**Hai: Yes in Japanese.**

**Per'aa: Pharoah in Ancient Egyptian.**

**Next chapter, we discover what is up with 'Kaiba', where Yami might have gone, and why Bakura the King of Thieves always washes his feet.**

**Like? Hate? Review!**


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